Duterte calls for peace amid Iran-US feud

MANILA, Philippines – President Duterte urged world leaders to avoid a war after his friend United States president Donald Trump warned Iran that it would suffer "consequences" if it threatens his country again.

Duterte said a nuclear explosion would be "terrible" because it would kill marine life and "erode the dignity of earth altogether."

"The South Korea peninsula issue has to be resolved, then stop egging Iran to go to war," the President said during a climate conference in Davao City.

Duterte was referring to the efforts of North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapon program to diffuse the tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

"If that's (conflict) what will happen, even about a few hundreds of missiles, nuclear, then there is no use talking about climate change," the President added.

Duterte expressed hopes that cooler heads would prevail and leaders of influential countries would help promote peace.  

"It behooves upon the leaders whose nations are really there and who can make a change they can do much and we appreciate nations who approach the problem with sobriety and understanding and providing the cooler heads so to speak," the President said.

Last Sunday, Trump warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani against threatening the US or it would "suffer consequences" few in history have ever suffered.

"We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence and death. Be cautious," Trump said in a tweet.

Rouhani earlier warned the US that a conflict with Iran, a nuclear power, would be a "mother of all wars."

Last May, Trump said the US would withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and announced a plan to slap sanctions on all exporters of oil from the Middle Eastern country. - Alexis Romero